Card Number 319, Miss Fox, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-1) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cross Cut Cigarettes
1880s
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 1 3/8 in. (6.4 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Photographs|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.207.145.1.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1880s advertising with *Card Number 319, Fox*, a petite albumen photograph from W. Duke, Sons &.'s Actors and Act series (N145-). Issued to promote their Cut Cigarettes, this portrait—measuring just 2½ × 1⅜ inches—captures the alluring gaze of actress Miss Fox, of many theater stars featured in these collectible cards. Tobacco companies like Duke pioneered this marketing tactic, enticing smokers with glamorous images tucked inside cigarette packs, turning everyday purchases into a treasure hunt for fans. Produced using the albumen process, popular in the 19th ce...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co. · 1870–1920
**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...